Bath boutiques and scented candle shops litter the malls and avenues, and the culprits that leave their doors open to waft the neighborhood with noxious scent should be class-actioned as polluters. Not that I don’t enjoy my share of “product”, as my Dermalogica deo and my Hanorah Skin Stress Protection Gel attest (and I admit to being a L’Occitane regular until they discontinued the men’s ebony bar soap) but self-esteem linked to home scent and bathroom decor reeks of Martha, and that motha ain’t ever smelt right.
I’m a major fan of Guelph Soap Company bar soap. It’s a classic, nothing too fancy-schmancy-nancy, nothing too luxe, snot-appealed, or designy-stylie… and not too much of an obvious whiff, but just enough to set off the pleasured nostalgia of whiffs-past. And total wallet-friendly at just $1.30 per bar. Guelph soap is glycerine based, so it’s long lasting and doesn’t melt away in the shower. I buy the bars at the supermarket, usually 3 at a time. I’m not going to vouch for the more fruity and fussy tangents, I only use the Kelp, Rosemary, Aloe w/ Olive Oil, and Eucalyptus Mint versions. Perhaps the Cranberry is juicy, and for sure the Lavender stinks like a damp grandmother… I won’t be sampling either. The company has been making this stuff for well over one hundred years, so as much as Guelph Ontario isn’t as refined and gentile a locale as let’s say Lyon, Budapest, or Genoa… the stuff is of very fine rank.
